Rogue trader Jerome Kerviel, facing a Sunday deadline to return to France to begin a three-year prison term, has demanded an audience with President Francois Hollande.

Issuing a statement from the Italian border town of Ventimiglia, Kerviel said he wished to detail "all the serious failings" that led to his conviction after he brought one of Europe`s biggest banks to the brink of bankruptcy.

He has asked Hollande to grant immunity to potential witnesses who could testify in his favour in connection with the near collapse of Societe Generale.